Why is my dog losing hair on his back and his skin is dry and wet?

Question

My dog is losing hair along his back particularly his spine, it usually feels dry but sometimes it feels wet and it is spreading to other areas around his body. Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | unneutered | 8 years and 5 months old | 8 lbs

David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat big with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get him to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start Big on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting him on a long term allergy treatment (Apoquel).

Why is my dog losing hair on his back and his skin is dry and wet?

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